Jean-Francois Gagné, Element AI

Jean-Francois Gagné, Element AI

Software industry serial entrepreneur Jean-Francois Gagné has a new high-tech mission: bringing researchers, entrepreneurs and large organizations together to create singular AI-First strategies. He co-founded startup incubator Element AI with deep learning pioneer Yoshua Bengio and AI researcher Nicolas Chapados. With recent funding from Microsoft Ventures, they’re building their ranks in Montréal, a city that boasts the highest concentration of artificial intelligence researchers in the world. Former CEO of Planora (a company that combined AI, machine learning, operation research and user experience to optimize business processes) and an in-demand speaker at AI conferences, J-F has made his mark in sectors from retail and manufacturing to healthcare and security, lending his expertise in best practices and cutting-edge tech.